Information storage devices are used to retrieve and/or store data for computer systems and other host electronic systems, such as digital video recorders and other consumer electronics products. A magnetic hard disk drive is an example of an information storage device.
Many information storage devices are housed within the system for which they retrieve and/or store data. For example, so-called “internal” disk drives are housed within a host computer system for which they store data. Other information storage devices are not housed within the system for which they retrieve and/or store data. For example, a so-called “external” hard disk drive includes its own housing, which may provide electromagnetic shielding, vibration dampening, some degree of isolation from external mechanical shocks, and active or passive cooling.
Whether an information storage device is external or internal to a host electronic system, the information storage device must include an electrical coupling to communicate with that host electronic system. Such electrical coupling has followed several industry standards over the years. For example, information storage devices have been coupled to host electronic systems in the past via several different standard electronic interfaces, some latter ones representing incremental advancements over previous ones. Examples of past and contemporary interface standards for coupling a disk drive to a host electronic system include: the Integrated Drive Electronics (IDE) interface, the Enhanced IDE (EIDE) interface, the Advanced Technology Attachment Packet Interface (ATAPI), the Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (SATA) interface, the Parallel Advanced Technology Attachment (PATA) interface, the Small Computer System Interface (SCSI), or the Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) interface.
According to each of these standards and others, the information storage device includes an electrical connector to which a host electrical connector is mated and must remain mated during operation. Each such electrical connector typically includes many distinct electrical conductors, often in the form of conductive pins or conductive receptacles (for pins), with electrically insulative material or space between each. Friction may not reliably prevent separation of the electrical connectors after mating, so the electrical connectors may also include one or more conventional sub-structures to enable one connector to retain a mated connector after they are mated together. Hence, considering the many pins, required insulation, and retention sub-structures (if any), contemporary disk drive electrical connectors for coupling to a host electronic system may have considerable size.
As disk drives become smaller, the space or volume taken by the disk drive electrical connector (to enable mating with and retention of a standard host electrical connector) has become a larger percentage of the total volume or space within the disk drive form factor limits. That volume or space could otherwise be used to enhance the capacity or performance of the disk drive. Thus, there is a need in the art for a disk drive design with a simplified or smaller disk drive electrical connector, where the disk drive is nevertheless able to mate with and retain a standard host electrical connector.